To Be a Mighty Empress, Or Not to Be - C143
If he stayed behind at the border, who knew if he would have to wait three to three years before being able to return to the capital. How could he be at ease with the Xiang Palace and his Anran? As he thought about it, Xiang Rongcheng’s gaze, whether intentionally or not, swept across Shi Anran with an indifferent expression. Seeing her expressionless face, Xiang Rongcheng felt stuffy, clenched his fists, and said with a thin lips: “This subject will obey Your Majesty’s decision!”
“In that case, I’ll think about it.” After all, it was not good to offend the Xiang Family at this time.
After a while, Shi Anran was deep in thought on the way back. Is the Emperor worried about the power of the Xiang Family now? Otherwise, they would not have been in such a hurry to break up their main force and send Xiang Rongcheng to the border guards. There was no cure for the emperor’s illness. Although it didn’t seem like it was a big deal, the truth was that it had long since injured his very core. Right now, what appeared to be calm on the surface was merely his appearance. What Shi Anran couldn’t figure out was, does the Emperor intend to make the Crown Prince ascend the throne, or is there another candidate in his heart? It was hard for anyone to fathom the intentions of this sovereign.
“Anran…” A male voice brought her out of her thoughts.
Shi Anran looked back, and it was actually the Xiang Rongcheng he hadn’t seen for a long time, and he looked even more high-spirited. Shi Anran slightly bowed, counted as a greeting, then turned and left.
It was so difficult for Xiang Rongcheng to see her again, how could he let go of this opportunity? Thus, he quickly followed and blocked her path. Looking at Shi Anran’s indifferent expression, she did not know how she made her unhappy. Xiang Rongcheng was at a loss for words for a moment, and said: “You are only sick for a few days, how can you be so thin. Did the people at the hospital not get you a good tonic? Do you want me to tell you something… ”
“If the young general is fine, then Anran will take his leave first …” She said those words clearly, then went around Xiang Rongcheng and left, as though he was only a stranger.
How did she become like this after not seeing his for a period of time? Could it be that it was because of Third Prince that she intentionally kept his distance from him? Thinking about it this way, Xiang Rongcheng felt that it was understandable, but his heart felt a bit awkward. If she were to choose the Third Prince, then it would be better for her to choose himself.
At this moment, Shi Anran’s emotions were extremely complicated, and her leaving footsteps were also in disorder. For some reason, she didn’t want to use her mouth to face Xiang Rongcheng. These past few days, she had almost forgotten how to smile when Shi Anran lifted her hand and touched her stiff face.
For the next few days, Shi Anran accompanied the Emperor back to the Palace, and even after that, Cui Yun would pass him a letter.
“Aunt, when you followed the Emperor, the young general sent someone to deliver this.” Cui Yun said as she handed the exquisite box over.
What exactly did Xiang Rongcheng want to do? It was one thing to send a letter over the next few days, but now he even sent a gift box over to her? Shi Anran originally wanted to throw it away, but then again, what if there was something precious inside?
When Shi Anran returned to her room, she opened the box. What entered her eyes was a fine red bean bracelet, the craftsmanship looked very fine, there was a small name carved on the red bean’s surface, if one did not look carefully, it was impossible to see.
Shi Anran was holding onto the chain and suddenly lost in thought. Why did he give her the red beans? This was not some expensive item. It was something that was common even to commoners. They had thought that the dignified young general would give them some rare treasures!
Thinking about this, Shi Anran’s mood gradually became better, and a hint of warmth unknowingly appeared on the corner of her mouth. She softly muttered, “I don’t even know if the Exquisite Dice An Hong Dou …” However, her heart was bitter. She was bound to fail to live up to Xiang Rongcheng’s intentions.
Over here, the crown prince and Xiang Rongcheng found a relatively quiet restaurant and sat down. Li Gan personally poured a cup of wine for him before chuckling.
“Everything depends on what the emperor says. I have no objections.” Xiang Rongcheng replied casually.
Seeing his depressed look, Li Gan thought of something, pursed his lips and said: “Look at the young general’s look, it seems like he was hurt by his emotions. I wonder who’s young miss is causing you to be so worried?”
“That is an extremely heartless woman.” Xiang Rongcheng shook his head, and could not help but say, this was the truth, and Shi Anran was also heartless.
Li Gan understood more than half of it, but he smiled and patted his shoulder: “Sometimes, women’s heartlessness is caused by men, as long as they give her some things or write a few nice love poems, can it not move her heart?”
Hearing this, the corner of Xiang Rongcheng’s mouth twitched. Could it be that he wanted to tell the crown prince that he had already used all of these methods, and they were completely useless against him?
Thinking about that, Xiang Rongcheng laughed and shook his head, then said: “It’s a pity that this girl is not an ordinary girl, if not I would not have had a headache because of her.”
“Oh? For a woman to be able to cause the young general to spend so much effort, she must be an outstanding individual. I wonder if I know her? ” The Crown Prince looked interested.
How could Xiang Rongcheng tell him who that person was? At the moment, he only smiled without saying a word. With a profound tone, he said, “Even if I told you, His Highness wouldn’t be able to recognize me.”
Li Gan poured another cup of wine, and said unhurriedly: “I never thought that a person like the Young General would be depressed because of a woman, and make people have a whole new level of respect for him.”
“What, don’t tell me that there are no women in His Highness’ residence?” Xiang Rongcheng’s words had successfully sealed the crown prince’s mouth. Honestly speaking, Xiang Rongcheng did not like to get along with people like the crown prince. He had spoken up for the emperor several times, but no one knew what he was planning.
“Alright, let’s not talk about this. Let’s talk about something else!” Li Gan changed the topic, even though this method seemed very stiff.
Xiang Rongcheng took a sip of the wine, and then looked at him with suspicion: “Then let’s chat a bit. Why is the crown prince helping me? ”
“I admire the young general’s talent, shouldn’t I help him?” Li Gan chuckled, and asked back.
He knew a bit about the conflicts between the princes, whether it was in the open or in the dark, but he did not join them. Even if he wanted to stand on someone’s side, his father would probably not allow it. At that moment, Xiang Rongcheng took a deep breath. No matter what the crown prince wanted with him, his answer would be very simple, he was just a general, what did the Imperial Family’s struggle have to do with him?
After leaving the restaurant, the two walked down the street, but Li Gan just stood there. Xiang Rongcheng raised his head and looked at the signboard of the brothel suspiciously, and his eyes darkened: “Why did you bring me here?”
“Didn’t the young general say he wants to understand women? I did not think that it would actually work. Rather than sitting still and waiting for death to come, why not give the young general a try? ” Saying that, Li Gan smiled.